LED devices, in addition to producing light, also produce heat. Excess heat generated during LED operation can cause the LED device to fail. Accordingly, LED devices often include heat sinks that are used to dissipate heat and prevent LED failure. Heat sinks can be fixed and made of metal or other thermally conductive material that conduct heat away from the LED device. Alternatively, heat sinks can be moveable and circulate a fluid around LED elements containing excess heat (e.g. a fan that circulates air around the LED device) so that the fluid conducts excess heat away from the LED device.
Most LED lights in the industry include an alternating current to direct current (AC/DC) convertor. FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram that shows an embodiment of an LED device 20, as known in the art, which comprises an AC/DC convertor 10 including a line input 12 and a neutral input 14. The line and neutral inputs, 12 and 14 respectively, receive a standard AC voltage, such as 120 volts from a standard US electrical socket, and convert the AC voltage to a desired DC voltage, such as 4 volts, 12 volts, or any other desired voltage. As shown in FIG. 1A, a number of LEDs 16 are coupled to AC/DC convertor 10 to receive the desired DC voltage. Additionally, FIG. 1A shows fan 18 is coupled to line input 12 and neutral input 14 to receive an AC voltage to power the fan for cooling LED device 20 and dissipate heat generated by LEDs 16. In an embodiment, fan 18 can be an AC powered fan that receives AC power by being connected to input line 12 and neutral input 14. Alternatively, fan 18 can be a DC powered fan that includes an AC/DC convertor within fan 18 itself, such that fan 18 is connected to the same AC line voltage as AC/DC convertor 10.
FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram that shows an embodiment of an LED device 22, as known in the art, which is similar to LED device 20 from FIG. 1A. LED device 22 differs from LED device 20 by inclusion of DC fan 24 that is connected to AC/DC convertor 10 at first output 26 of the convertor, while LEDs 16 are connected to AC/DC convertor 10 at second output 28. Accordingly, a single AC/DC converter 10 serves to provide a DC power source to both DC fan 24 and LEDs 16.